PERMITS have today been granted to gas company Third Energy which would allow fracking at Kirby Misperton.

The Environment Agency made the decision to grant the permits following an assessment of Third Energy’s proposals, as well as comments submitted during two public consultations.

The permits set out the conditions that Third Energy must follow in order to protect groundwater, surface water and air quality and to ensure the safe storage, management and disposal of waste materials.

Third Energy's application to frack is now in its final stages, with North Yorkshire County Council deciding later this month whether or not to grant planning permission.

Martin Christmas, environment manager for North Yorkshire, said: "After completing a thorough assessment of Third Energy’s application and all of the responses to our public consultations, we are confident that these environmental permits set out the right conditions to ensure that people and the environment are protected. 

"Should Third Energy receive the appropriate planning permission and begin the permitted activities, we will stringently enforce the conditions of the permits to ensure that waste is managed properly and local groundwater is protected."

The permits cover mining waste and groundwater activities and radioactive substances activity.

All businesses whose activities could be harmful to the environment or to people’s health need an environmental permit to operate. An operator without a permit or operating outside the set conditions of a permit would be breaking the law.

John Dewar, operations director at Third Energy, said: “This is another important step towards having the necessary permissions in place to fracture the KM8 well and evaluate the potential of the shale resource to produce gas commercially.

"The permits cover, amongst other things, the frac fluid and the disposal of flow back water. The issuing of these permits demonstrates that the Environment Agency is satisfied that the hydraulic fracturing operation, including frac fluid which is non-hazardous to ground water and the disposal of the flow back water, can be managed without impacting on the local environment.

"The Company will undertake additional actions to ensure conditions attached to the permits are met, ensuring further and ongoing protections."

However, anti-fracking protestors have said it is "shocking" that the Environment Agency has granted the permits, and have called on them to reconsider.

Dr Liz Garthwaite, a Malton resident, said: "We need a moratorium as called for by Ryedale District Council, all five town councils of Ryedale, and at least ten parish councils, until this process has been properly researched and a properly independent panel of health experts reviews all the up-to-date evidence of contamination from other sites where fracking has been done around the world."

Ian Conlan, from Frack Free Ryedale, added: "It is shocking that the Environment Agency has ignored the well-founded concerns of local residents.

"Our Environment Agency, already struggling with budget cuts and unprecedented demands on their resources from flooding, have had responsibility for fracking dumped on them with no expert knowledge, lack of robust regulations, and no site visit schedule to ensure compliance.

"Without such safeguards in place, we call on the Environment Agency to reconsider this, and we will be seeking legal advice on challenging the decision granting these permits."